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Malphakain
"Who am I? I am the last card in the deck, the last bullet in the gun, the last minute to midnight. I am the last hope of the desperate man and, son, you look pretty desperate to me." - Malphakain. Malphakain is a Dark Ascended who likes to meddle with the lives of humans. He is also known as the Four Eyed Goat or the King of the Sunset Palace. He is often called a trickster god, as he often deceives and manipulates mortals. Malphakain has multiple titles, most prominently; "The Four Eyed Goat", or "The King of the Sunset Palace", sometimes shortened to "The Sunset King" Characteristics Appearance / Depiction Malphakain is depicted in many ways across theology. The earliest depictions, from the nineteenth century, show him as a large, naked bestial man, covered in fur, and with the head of a four-eyed goat. His eyes are said to be blood red, his skin and fur a dark brown. Slightly later depictions sometimes show him wearing very basic clothes. However, in Dark Wanderings by Reza Al-Kalinzar, the author claims to have spoken to Malphakain, who was in the form of a tall, swarthy man. Several sources corroborate this tale, so it is likely that Malphakain can change form to be less conspicuous, much like Azjol, other Dark Ascended beings from Tyrrus. In modern times, particularly around the Izirian frontier, Malphakain is depicted with the four-eyed goat head as before, but wearing a suit. Personality Though sources of those who have spoken to Malphakain are unreliable, he is consistently said to be confident, even-tempered, and greatly interested in individual lives. As stated by Al-Kalinzar; "The Sunset King was impossible to anger, he just continued to look upon me with a snide smile, as if he knew I would eventually agree to his deal. Of course, I had no choice really. Throughout our conversation he seemed slightly amused, and positively gleeful when I finally accepted his offer. I believe what sets Malphakain apart from his ilk is that he has great interest in the affairs of mortals, and seems entertained by us" Malphakain is also said to occasionally be quite seductive. There are many stories of him laying with humans, and there are a few rare cases of women giving birth to children who resemble him, giving some credibility to these rumours. Malphakain is known to be very deceptive and manipulative of mortals. He is fond of offering contracts which backfire upon the mortals unlucky enough to accept them. However, a trait of Malphakain's that is quite rare among the ascended is that he is known to be kind, and to help mortals. The tale of "Malphakain's Wife" is commonly repeated along the Izirian frontier, and is a legend about how he saved a young woman from her abusive father, and took her back to the sunset palace. Themes Malphakain seems most strongly associated with the concept of desperation and last chances. All the times he has appeared to mortals it has been while they have been in a desperate situation, and he comes along to offer them a way out. Contracts and bargains are heavily connected to Malphakain, as he seems to enjoy offering such deals to desperate mortals. Commonly, these contracts backfire upon the mortal, often due to some manipulation and trickery from Malphakain. Though commonly called a "trickster god", Malphakain does not commonly directly lie or deceive. Instead, he prefers to manipulate events in the background. Also he always follows his contracts to the letter, delivering to the mortal exactly what he said he would. However, sometimes his contracts are open to interpretation, and he may mislead the mortal. Malphakain is also commonly associated with mundane vices, such as alcohol, drugs, lust, and various other kinds of debauchery. This is believed to partially stem from his connection with Balrabatos, but also because these vices often lead people into desperate situations, which Malphakain revels in. Symbology Malphakain is associated with two symbols. The first, and the oldest, is a four eyed goat skull. However, a more recent symbol and the one that is more commonly used is a symbol of a sunset, with barely a sliver of the sun still showing, right on the cusp of nightfall. Mythology Origins Stories Relations with Other Gods Powers